The ALC was founded by Professor Funmi Olonisakin of King’s College London, who also served as its first director.[2] The Centre has offices in London and Nairobi and works to advance African-led approaches to peace, security, and leadership.[1]
History
The African Leadership Centre (ALC) was officially launched on 24 June 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of a pioneering initiative to cultivate a new generation of African leaders and scholars.[1][2] The Centre was founded by Professor Funmi Olonisakin of King's College London, who also served as its first director.[2]
Conceived as a partnership between King's College London and the University of Nairobi, the ALC was designed to generate cutting-edge research on peace, security, and development in Africa while mentoring young leaders.[1] Its mission emphasizes personal transformation for African scholars who will, in turn, drive change in their communities.[1]
A sister institution in Nairobi was formally established under Kenyan law as an educational trust. It operates in partnership with King's College London and the University of Nairobi, focusing on academic training and policy formulation to transform Africa.[1][2] Today, the Nairobi centre is led by Shuvai Busuman Nyoni, who serves as Executive Director,[3] while the London-based centre is directed by Eka Ikpe, Professor of Development Economics in Africa at King’s College London.[4]
Programmes
The Centre offers leadership development initiatives for emerging women leaders and professionals, alongside academic pathways such as fellowships,[5]master’s degrees, and doctoral studies in leadership, peace, security, and development.[6][7][8] The Centre also supports postdoctoral research and leadership training initiatives.
ALC is part of the School of Global Affairs within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King's College London. It maintains collaborations with universities, think tanks, and international organisations.
Each year, the Centre organises Africa Week, a programme of academic and public events showcasing research and outreach activities related to African peace, security, and development.[9][10]
The Centre also holds the annual Peter da Costa Memorial Lecture Series to honour the legacy of the late Dr Peter da Costa, former vice-chair of the ALC Board of Trustees, who died in 2019.[11]
Legacy and Alumni
The African Leadership Centre promotes an intergenerational approach to leadership development through initiatives such as the Practice of Leadership Programme, which pairs fellows and alumni with senior African practitioners for mentoring and knowledge exchange.[12]
A notable example is Shuvai Busuman Nyoni, who became the first alumna to serve as Executive Director after completing the Peace and Security Fellowship for African Women in 2009–2010.[13] She previously coordinated the ALC Alumni Network.[14]
The Alumni Association brings together former fellows who convene biennially for conferences.[15] The 7th Alumni Conference, held in Abuja in 2025, coincided with ALC’s 15th anniversary and ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary. The event, themed “Reflecting, Reconnecting and Reimagining the ALC @ 15,” was co-organised with Amandla Institute, CODESRIA, WATHI, and featured the African Public Square (APS), an initiative of ALC, as part of ECOWAS @ 50 celebrations to debate regional integration futures.[16][17]
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